So I think I’m finally getting the hang of this ‘swirl in the pot’ soap swirling thing. I even managed to swirl 2 colors this time (this is where you ‘ohhh’ and ‘ahhh’). This soap was actually inspired by a crafty friend, Stephanie of Robot Pop. She has become one of my ‘testers’ and has given me several great ideas for new scents. This is one that she suggested to me, down to the swirl. I’m saving a bar for Stephanie for the great idea on this one – it smells fantastic!

Everyone has a favorite place for a good margarita. My favorite local Mexican restaurant, Frescos, has a really tasty rita called the true agave. Paired with their fajitas, it is just about the perfect meal. My mouth is starting to water just thinking about it. Fajitas and margaritas say summer to me. So in honor of the rising mercury and Cinco de Mayo, I’m sharing my favorite margarita recipes – one in drink form and the other in soap.

shake ingredients vigorously in a shaker, pour in your favorite glass, squeeze a wedge of lime if you have it (I didn’t) and enjoy!

Now for the soap

first batch of margarita soap colored with parsley

I’ve made 2 test batches of margarita soap so far, and they both smell fabulous. They are not looking as fab as they smell, so will work some more to get these looking beautiful. The first batch has ground parsley for the yellow/green color, unscented soap chunks as ice and salt on top. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the parsley, so tried something different next batch.

second batch of margarita soap colored with lime juice and green clay

For the second batch, I still used key lime and lemon oils, but also added some litsea to help those citrus scents stick around. I used fresh lime juice and french green clay, as well as the unscented soap chunks, for the color. Not crazy about this color either, although it is pretty darn close to the color of my actual margarita.

I see another test batch in my near future, and lots of sampling ahead. I better mix up another margarita for inspiration.

I’m excited about my newest soap that is freshly cut and just out of the mold today – lemon poppy seed. It’s doing time on the soap rack for at least 4 weeks, but I can’t wait to use it.

lemon poppyseed soap loaf, just out of the mold. This makes 5 bars.

This was my first successful attempt to use something natural (not a colored oxide) to color my soap. No artificial colors for me, as pretty as they may be, I don’t want them in my soap. I’m only using plant-based materials to color and scent my soaps. All previous attempts ended up various shades of the same color – brown. But this soap turned out a lovely, creamy yellow – just what I was hoping for. I squeezed 3 lemons and used the fresh juice mixed with water for my lye mixture, and, wa-la – yellow soap. And it smells de-li-cious – just like fresh lemons (go figure!).

This will become one of my regulars – going to make a large batch stat. Hmm, now that I think about it, to make a big batch with the same proportions as this tiny batch, I’ll need a bunch more lemons. 30 actually. That’s a lot of lemon juicing. I’m going to need a lemon tree and one of those automatic juicers. Or maybe my pathetic excuse for arm muscles will be my juicin’ tool. Then I could say I’m juiced. Ok, I’m done 🙂

This week was exciting. I had my first professional photo shoot with my soap, and I have to say it turned out great! There were stacks of soap everywhere, and I had no idea my bathroom could be such a great place to take photos. My brother Travis, the fabulous photographer who lives in NYC, took these beautiful photos that I can’t wait to put on everything!